Concerned soldiers who raised concerns about suspicious activity in the days before Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel were threatened with a court-martial, it has emerged.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet faced sharp criticism from Israelis, who accused them of being caught off guard by the raids that left more than 1,200 people dead.
Another 239 people were taken hostage and although a few have been released, dozens of worried families are still waiting for news of their loved ones.
Now Israel’s leading news program Channel 12 has aired claims from female soldiers who were threatened with court-martial for raising concerns before the October 7 attack.
One said: “We have been told that if we continue to bully over this matter you will face court.”
Israeli soldiers recover the body of a compatriot who was killed in an attack by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza on October 10
Pictured: Still from footage showing fighters training ahead of the Hamas operation in Israel
A soldier holds his nose at Kibbutz Kfar Aza as he searches for victims after Hamas terrorists stormed the Israeli border
The soldiers said they had been raising concerns and “raising red flags” for weeks about suspicious activity on Israel’s southern border with Gaza.
Commanders were briefed on “training, anomalies and preparations” near the border and soldiers told Channel 12 they had “seen new people visiting farms around the border.”
One said: “Suddenly more and more people came there who had never visited the area before, and farmers who used to come suddenly stopped working in the fields and were replaced.”
The soldiers said “alarm bells were ringing” for them, but when they expressed their concerns to Israel Defense Forces commanding officers, they were brushed aside.
One is said to have said: “I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense.” If you deal with these things again you will be in court.’
Another is said to have snorted: “Hamas are just a bunch of punks, they don’t do anything.”
Other soldiers also claimed they were not given enough “psychological support” after losing comrades or family members in the Oct. 7 killings.
Gunshots and bloodstains can be seen on a door and walls of a house where civilians were killed days earlier in a Hamas attack on this kibbutz near the Gaza border
Pictured: A resident stands next to a destroyed vehicle after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel
A burned house after an attack by Palestinian terrorists on the kibbutz on October 10
A view of a house that lay in ruins following an attack by Hamas militants on this kibbutz days earlier that killed dozens of civilians near the Gaza border
Israeli forces fire rockets into the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas attacks on October 7
Some said they were asked to return to duty after two weeks when they felt they were still not ready for duty.
An IDF spokesman told Web: “The IDF and its commanders are closely and sensitively accompanying all servicemen and women who were present at the events of October 7th.”
“The soldiers are accompanied by medical professionals from the psychiatric system, in addition to constant contact with their commanders, who provide them with a contact person and a listening ear.”
“Your return to service will be accompanied gradually, sensitively and according to each individual’s situation.”
“There is no intention to take disciplinary action against them. “If there were conversations that reflected otherwise, then they are in breach of policy and will be dealt with accordingly.”
Meanwhile, another report on the Israeli online site Walla! claimed a tank commander reported soldiers at headquarters for “playing football and swimming in the sea.”
The report also claimed that motorists in the Gaza Strip who were “speeding to reach a first destination” had “ended in a collision” but fortunately no one was injured.
When asked about this, the IDF said: “The behavior and words of the soldiers who showed up do not correspond to the commands and values that the IDF expects from soldiers in the performance of their duties.”
“Each case is treated individually.”